Hardware Forum

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating [URL="http://www.ibm.com"]IBM[/URL]'s computer market conduct and, depending on the outcome, it might just affect your beloved [URL="http://www.apple.com"]Apple[/URL] computers. As everyone knows, IBM is the major player in the mainframe computer market but now their business practice of not licensing other hardware makers to run …

On the face of it, you would think eBook Readers would be perfect for an academic setting, but according to a [URL="http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/28/kindle-dx-called-poor-excuse-of-an-academic-tool-in-princeton/"]post on Engadget[/URL] this week, Princeton students participating in a pilot program were unhappy with the Kindle DX's feature set, particularly ones essential to students such as annotation and …

If it wasn't bad enough that someone is filing for a trademark to cover an adult-oriented games console called a SexBox, the world's largest adult entertainment company is seeking approval from Sony to turn its entertainment console into a PornStation 3. Silican Xtal Corp, a San Jose based integrated circuit …

It's official - [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk"]Amazon[/URL] is finally going to bring the [URL="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015T963C//ref=amb_link_84995193_2?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=0YE4YSBQWS4B3NPRZQ2G&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=472917413&pf_rd_i=468294"]Kindle e-book reader[/URL] to countries other than the US, including my own UK. Thing is, there are going to be issues. The first is a practical one. In the absence of any specific announcement to the contrary, we're all going …

[URL="http://www.toshiba.com"]Toshiba[/URL] has launched a new selection of notebook computers - but they look rather like Netbooks. Priced at the upper end of the cheaper notebook market (and the exact cost will depend on your territory, let's just say they're starting at £429 in the UK) they're called the CULV satellites …

The iPhone's going to be sold by [URL="http://www.orange.co.uk"]Orange[/URL] in the UK as well as [URL="http://www.02.co.uk"]02[/URL]. I confess I was surprised at the announcement since I'd assumed 02 taking on the [URL="http://www.palm.com/us/products/phones/pre/"]Palm Pre[/URL] was as good as a statement that they no longer expected a monopoly on any other smartphone. What's …

When singer Lily Allen posted a passionate plea for people to stop illegally sharing music files, and started a dedicated blog where fellow pop stars could voice their concerns over the 'theft' of their work, you might have been forgiven for thinking it would just turn into the usual bunch …

How much for an iPhone-powered TomTom satnav? That's the question that has been on the lips of many an iPhone user ever since TomTom announced it was developing a version of the market leading turn-by-turn satellite navigation system especially for the iPhone. Now, it seems, we are a little closer …

[URL="http://www.apple.com"]Apple[/URL] appears to be having battery issues again - it is reportedly asking iPhone 3Gs users to get in touch if their batteries are running down. This tells us a number of things. First, that there is a real problem. When a business the size of Apple decides to ask …

This week I went to an annual press launch in London. Called [URL="http://www.myplaybite.com"]PlayBite[/URL], it's not half as salacious as it sounds, just a group of companies that share the same PR company (also called Bite, you can see where they're going with this) exhibiting stuff. There were a few gadgets …

It has long been affectionately known as the [URL="http://www.itpro.co.uk/blogs/daveyw/2008/08/28/jesus-phone-does-not-perform-miracles/"]Jesus Phone[/URL] because of the almost religious following it receives, but can the iPhone really harness the power of the Cosmos to help organise your life? Veteran TV presenter Noel Edmonds, he of Deal or No Deal, Are You Smarter Than A …

It was surreal to read today that Microsoft's Apple iPod killer, the Zune, has gone all high definition. That's to say that the new version announced today will have high-def capacity. Reaction has been positive; connect it to a TV and it'll be great, everyone's going to want one. Well, …

Yesterday Microsoft launched the long-awaited [URL="http://www.zune.net/en-us/products/zunehd/default.htm"]Zune HD[/URL]. By all reports, this is a pretty nice device with a large 3.3 inch OLED screen with HD video and HD radio playback. As a media player, it offers access to a limited App Store and a very nice $15 all-you-can-eat monthly music …

When interface guru Jakob Nieslen reported on the [URL="http://www.useit.com/alertbox/kindle-usability-review.html"]Kindle 2 [/URL]usability last March, he pointed out it was great for books, but not much other content. Why is this significant? Two recent reports suggest that the eBook Reader could move beyond a simple device for reading books, and could become …

With the[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qquCcT6O8cs&feature=player_embedded"] September 9th Keynote[/URL] in our rear view mirror, we can begin to look back at it with a more unbiased eye, and explore some of the new features more clearly. It's obvious by now that this wasn't in any way a major announcement. This was exacerbated by the …

Apple introduced a new feature today that lets you buy an album from iTunes complete with extra material like bonus recordings, video footage, lyrics and more. This is the kind of package I was suggesting the record companies need to bring to CDs a couple of weeks ago in my …

Yesterday was [URL="http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/09/09/apple-rock-roll-keynote-podcast-itunes/"]Apple's Keynote[/URL], and you would think we would have learned by now that Apple rumors are meaningless. As the buzz grows louder before each of these events, there are rumors so convincing we think they must be a fait accompli. I mean how many of you thought you …

Apple has launched new additions to its iPod range and improved two of its working environments, iPhone 3.1 software is out, and joined by a new version of the iTunes store. Only...there isn't much new in any of this. Let's take a look at the iTunes store first. You can …

[URL="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/08/31/apple_expected_to_offer_iphone_on_new_u_s_carriers_within_a_year.html"]Apple Insider[/URL] reports this morning that Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is predicting that Apple will end its exclusive agreement with AT&T by next summer. This rumor has been out there for some time (as I wrote back in June in [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4428.html"]Is Apple Getting Ready to Dump AT&T?[/URL]). The exclusivity …

It certainly has been a roller coast ride of a month for Apple, and it continued this week with news they had allowed an iTunes competitor, [URL="http://spotify.com/"]Spotify[/URL], to place an app in the App Store surprising many industry pundits who believed they would reject it. Meanwhile, earlier this week Apple …

[URL="http://www.apple.com"]Apple[/URL] is looking more and more likely to be releasing a tablet computer either later this year or early next. I won't bore you with all the references online, there are too many. So, purely from my head, here is my wish list for what the device will actually be …

For years now, Apple has been on a heck of a ride creating pleasing products with a loyal customer base, but suddenly this month the tide seems to have turned, at least in the press. As my [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4636.html"]DaniWeb colleague, Davey Winder[/URL] pointed out last week, the press jumped on numbers …

Don't get me wrong, I'm a great fan of the PS3 but not for the gaming which, when compared to the Xbox 360 is in a totally different league in my opinion. But when it comes to the actual hardware, well, the PS3 wins every time. Not only is it …

Today Dynamite Records, a fixture in Northampton, MA for more than 27 years shut its doors. Probably doesn't matter to most of my readers, but consider this news against the backdrop of [URL="http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_090818.html"]figures released this week by the NPD Group[/URL] indicating that iTunes controls 25 percent of all US music …

I love a [URL="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/20193/53/"]good patent story[/URL], I love my [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1264.html"]Nintendo Wii[/URL] and I love bouncy cushions. However, it is a rare thing to be able to write a news story which covers all three. Yet it would appear that Nintendo has, indeed, filed a European patent for a bouncy cushion …

Just how much of a geek are you? Do you know who Sergey Brin is? Can you solve a Rubik's Cube, in under five minutes? Do you know the value of Pi beyond 3.14? Would you spend a small fortune to get [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4607.html"]satnav on your mobile[/URL]? Or maybe strap a …

Now if you had invested in an Apple iPod Touch and it, well, exploded after you dropped it you probably would not be too happy about. You probably would contact Apple and explain what had happened, and you might be happy to accept a refund. But what if that refund …

One last quick entry before the weekend starts (and before the month ends) - I saw a story on [URL="http://twitter.com"]Twitter[/URL] today in which some hackers claimed they'd found a flaw in the iPhone that would allow a malicious person to take control of every one of those phones in rthe …

There are two things you can be sure of about the annual Las Vegas Black Hat security conference: nobody will use the free wifi as they are all too [URL="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/19935/53/"]worried about being hacked[/URL], and someone will demonstrate an exploit that will scare the living bejesus out of you. The latter …

Word came out yesterday that [URL="http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/23/news/companies/ATT_earns.reut/"]AT&T didn't have a great quarter[/URL] (which ironically sent the stock price soaring because it wasn't as bad as expected). This loss seemed perplexing to me given that Apple reported its numbers earlier this week (as I wrote in [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4560.html"]Lauren's Wrong: People Definitely Want Macs[/URL]), …

What happens if you get caught out sharing copyright music or video online? If you live in Hull, in the north of the UK, the answer will probably surprise you. At the same time that most Internet Service Providers are applauding the recent [URL="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/22936/53/"]Digital Britain report[/URL] from the government which …

Apple released its [URL="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/07/21results.html"]third quarter numbers[/URL] yesterday and by any benchmark they were impressive. Consider these numbers as [URL="http://www.macworld.com/article/141829/2009/07/appleq309.html?lsrc=top_1"]reported by Macworld[/URL]: * $8.34 billion in sales and a net profit of $1.23 billion * 5.2 million iPhones * 10. 2 million iPods * 2.6 million Macs (of which1.75 million were …

According to a new [URL="http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/polls/2245397/poll-summer-smartphones"]poll[/URL] the Apple iPhone 3GS is the smartphone that most Brits would want to be seen with on the beach this summer. The poll asked some 1500 people which smartphone they would be taking to the beach, and 28 percent of them said it would have …

It was revealed yesterday that [URL="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/16/AR2009071600811.html"]Apple began blocking Palm Pre users [/URL]from syncing with iTunes. Apparently the latest upgrade, which I installed just this morning won't allow Pre users to sync with their phones. Seriously, Apple? Are you really going to be this petty? Do you really feel this threatened …

With the [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4487.html"]iPhone 3GS[/URL] slowly coming back into stock after [URL="http://www.itpro.co.uk/blogs/daveyw/2009/06/30/o2-runs-out-of-iphone-3gs/"]selling out[/URL] during the first week of release, there is more good news for potential buyers: the 3GS has been jailbroken. Yes, 19 year old George Hotz who you might remember shot to hacking fame a couple of years back …

Everyone knows that the iPhone 3GS only comes in black or white varieties, but some unlucky users are claiming to have got their hands on a pink version. The thing is, these started out as bog standard white models but, according to some reports, they get so hot during extended …

This just has to be one of the best pieces of news ever - there is agreement for a standard for mobile phones. It's really as simple as that. Here's the story, [URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_8124000/8124293.stm"]on the BBC's junior site[/URL], would you believe. I just can't work out why it has to be …

On June 15th, less than two weeks ago, the [URL="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/06/15/apples_mac_sales_held_up_in_may_while_ipod_shipments_fell.html"]Apple Insider blog reported[/URL] that Apple sales continued slipping in May. Mac sales were down, perhaps not as much as expected but still down, and more surprising, the previously recession-proof iPod sales were falling. Could it be that the economy was …

The privacy invading nonsense that is the controversial UK ID Card Scheme could be scrapped by this time next year. With the chances of the Labour Party being returned to power looking very slim indeed, the chances are that a Conservative Government will be voted in. Which is good news …

Twitter was all a-twitter overnight (UK time) about the iPhone version 3.0 software upgrade. It was falling over, people weren't able to download, it was agony and then it wasn't working apparently. I hope you don't enjoy reading that sort of stuff. I'm not able to write it, you see; …

There is little doubt that when it comes to consumer satellite navigation devices, TomTom pretty much rules the roost. There is equally little doubt that in the past it has made some pretty serious mistakes, such as introducing the world to the [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1276.html"]first virus infection distributed by a satnav device[/URL]. …

Apple kicked off its annual [URL="http://developer.apple.com/WWDC/"]World Wide Developer's Conference[/URL] on Monday, and it proved something very important; it could generate plenty of excitement without [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs"]Steve Jobs[/URL] on stage. I know that I along with many others watch with anticipation as live bloggers on the scene gave us the blow by …

Yesterday, [URL="http://www.apple.com"]Apple[/URL] [URL="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090609/bs_nm/us_apple1"]announced[/URL] significant price drops on many of its consumer products including the iPhone and Mac Air. This is an unusual move by Apple since it carefully controls its pricing--so much so that rarely, if ever, do its products go "on sale." So what's up with this big price …

I have to confess my initial reaction was the same as that of Daniweb colleague [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4429.html"]Bill Andad[/URL]; the lack of a coherent upgrade path for the new iPhone 3G S is some sort of idiocy by UK operator 02. But then I got to thinking. And it's not. It's unfortunate …

UK iPhone 3G users hoping that the network operator with the exclusive contract on the new iPhone 3GS might see sense and let them upgrade have been dealt a body blow as O2 confirms they can go and swivel on Twitter. The iPhone 3GS will be upon us in a …

As usual Apple put on quite a show at the [URL="http://developer.apple.com/WWDC/"]WWDC 09 Keynote[/URL] on Monday, but what struck me was the undercurrent of derision for its exclusive carrier AT&T. Tucked in among the [URL="http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/iphone/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217800153"]big announcements[/URL] of faster, cheaper Mac Books, $29 Snow Leopard upgrades, the long rumored $99 iPhone and …

Have you bought a [URL="http://www.amazon.com"]Kindle[/URL] or Kindle 2 yet? Don't--at least not until you check out the [URL="http://www.coolreaders.com"]COOL-ER[/URL] ebook reader. It's about the same size and weight of a Kindle--so what makes it so much [I]cooler[/I] than the Kindle? It could be your choice of eight cool colors, its magical …

Here we go again, it is silly season at Apple as an iPhone application feeding news from a civil liberties organisation is banned and Hitler gets the blame. Just two days ago I posted a news story entitled '[URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4408.html"]You don't have to be easily offended to be an iPhone app …

Someone at Apple really does need to take a closer look at how they choose the people who work as iPhone application approvers, either that or take a chainsaw to the approval process guidelines and start again but when sober this time. Look, much has been written about the madness …

Gamers have got to love the E3 Expo, especially Microsoft gamers who are into the social side of the Xbox experience. If they happen to be obsessed with Twitter as well as Xbox Live then Microsoft had some good news to announce for them at E3: a [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4249.html"]Twitter[/URL] client for …